Switzerland is rising on the international stage! Step by step, we are getting closer to the world’s elite, says Tibor Kapánek

Foreign players have significantly increased the level of Swiss ball hockey

Coach, before moving to Switzerland you played ball hockey in the Czech and Slovak Extraliga. What brought you to Oberwil before the 2005/2006 season? Was it a sporting challenge, coincidence, or a planned move?

Well, it was ball hockey. I spent one season in the Slovak Extraliga with HBK Gbely, then three years in the Czech Extraliga with SK Sudoměřice. Because things were going quite well for me on Czech and Slovak rinks, I was approached by the Swiss club Oberwil Rebells, who had just been promoted to the top division, asking if I would transfer. It wasn’t an easy decision because I had a family. My wife Radka and I had a three-and-a-half-year-old son, David, but we decided to give it a try. The club arranged everything—job, housing, all the paperwork—so we went for it. In the 2004/2005 season, I played my last game in the Czech Extraliga, and starting with 2005/2006, I began my time with Oberwil Rebells. So it was a coincidence, a planned move, and also a sporting challenge.

Besides playing there, you’ve also spent several years coaching the club and now lead the Swiss men’s national team in the same role. Looking back at your early years in Switzerland, where do you feel Swiss ball hockey has progressed the most?

The beginnings were not easy at all. First, the language barrier, which improved over time, but also the style of play. Games were played on smaller rinks, 1+4, without offsides, less technical, less tactical, but much tougher—often even dirty. It was simply different from what I was used to. I came to the club as a player, but after two or three months, I became a player-coach, just like in Sudoměřice. I introduced a slightly different system, changed the approach to training, and the guys showed a willingness to learn, which was reflected in our results. At the end of the season, we celebrated winning both the league title and the cup, and it continued similarly in the years that followed. I ended my playing career in 2010/2011, and my final career game was at the World Cup in Plzeň in 2011, where we won the tournament with Oberwil Rebells. Since then, I have remained the coach of Oberwil Rebells and, since 2012, also the head coach of the Swiss national team.

Several Czech and Slovak players play in Switzerland, some of whom have even worn the Swiss national jersey. What have they brought to Swiss ball hockey in terms of gameplay?

Foreign players have certainly contributed greatly to improving the quality of Swiss ball hockey. In the past, there were players from Canada and the USA, and of course Czechs and Slovaks. Currently, each team may have two foreign players. But there are exceptions—for example, if a player’s first ball hockey registration was in Switzerland, he is considered domestic, and players who have already appeared for Switzerland at a World Championship are also counted as domestic. That’s why last season, Sierre Lions had four Czechs, four Slovaks, and one Canadian. Foreign players bring quality, introduce new systems, create competition within the team, bring new drills, etc., all of which benefits domestic players. Players who have lived and played in Switzerland for several years can represent the country at World Championships—but to deserve it, they must clearly outperform domestic players.

The Swiss national team has made huge progress in recent years and has drawn closer to the elite teams. What factors do you think contributed most to this improvement?

It’s true that in recent years we’ve been gradually approaching the world’s elite. There are several factors. One is the belief—at least according to what I’ve heard—that it’s because I lead the team or have things under control. But I think clubs across Switzerland have realized that the way Oberwil Rebells operates and the path we’ve taken is the right one, and that without confronting Czech and Slovak teams, progress simply isn’t possible. That’s why traveling abroad for tournaments—especially to the Czech Republic—is so important. Besides Oberwil, clubs like Sierre, Belpa, La Chaux-de-Fonds, and Kernenried have also participated. Players see first-hand what modern ball hockey looks like, bring elements back to our league, work harder, and as a result, the national team players are better prepared. Another factor is that more than half of the national team players come from Oberwil Rebells, where I can work with them all season long, not just during national team camps. The players have also understood that on the international stage they must be physically very well prepared and unafraid to play with the ball. That is the biggest shift in mindset. When I took over the national team after the 2011 World Championship in Bratislava—where Switzerland finished third in the B-Pool—the goal against top teams like Czechia, Slovakia, the USA, or Canada was simply not to lose by double digits. Then the goal became keeping the score close. Then not losing. Now we aim to score points and win even against those teams. Our dream is to win a medal at the 2026 World Championship in Ostrava.

I think this will be the best World Championship in ball hockey history

You finished fourth at last year’s home World Championship in Switzerland. With some time passed, do you feel more pride for leading the team so far, or regret for narrowly missing a medal?

Of course, it’s pride—pride in what the boys achieved. It was a historic result—the first time we reached the semifinals and the medal games. Even though the medal slipped away by a tiny margin, it was an incredible achievement for us. Yes, as time goes by, you start to realize how close we were, and it stings a bit. But on the other hand, it should motivate us—to work even harder and try to take another step forward in Ostrava. This generation has it in their hands, and I firmly believe they have what it takes to win that dream medal.

After Switzerland, the next host of the men’s and women’s World Championship is the Czech Republic. How is the team preparing to build on last year’s success?

How to put it politely… our preparation is complicated by the current situation in Swiss ball hockey—specifically within our federation’s leadership. Instead of focusing fully on training and preparation, players currently must deal with financial matters concerning participation in the World Championship in Ostrava. It’s not a small amount per player, and unfortunately not everyone can afford it. Players themselves must search for sponsors to gather the needed funds so that we can finally focus on preparation. It’s sad that after the 2024 home World Championship in Visp, the federation essentially fell asleep and did nothing to capitalize on that success—especially financially and in promoting the sport to a broader audience. We’ll see how it turns out, but I must say the boys are motivated, excited for Ostrava, and despite the current issues, I believe things will work out and we will bring our best players. If that happens, I believe it will make us even more united, we will work harder, and we will arrive in Ostrava fully prepared and determined to achieve the best possible result.

You mentioned the importance of traveling abroad. Last year you visited the Czech Republic with the national team, and this year you went to tournaments in Plzeň and Kladno with Oberwil. How does this international experience translate into team performance?

As I’ve said, only confrontation at such an international club level can move us forward. In Switzerland, we have very few matches like those we play at tournaments abroad. That’s why we regularly travel to the Czech Republic. The players’ quality improves noticeably—they progress, get better—and that’s also why Oberwil Rebells are so strongly represented in the national team. That’s simply reality. I have to thank our club management—they fully support the direction and structure of the club that we’ve established. Not every club can operate this way—it’s financially demanding, and only a well-managed organization can afford it. Fortunately, I am in such a club, and I’m very grateful. I believe the players understand this as well, and that’s why they work so hard, which then brings results, victories, and success.

The World Championship in Ostrava will be another major celebration of ball hockey. As someone who played in Czechia and comes from Slovakia, how do you view this tournament?

I’m personally really looking forward to the World Championship in Ostrava, and I want to enjoy it fully. No one knows whether I’ll get such an opportunity again—or if it might be my last World Championship. In summer 2025, I visited Ostrava, toured the hotel area, and, accompanied by the organizing committee, I had the chance to explore inside Ostravar Arena—the facilities, locker rooms, everything. I think it will be the best World Championship in the history of ball hockey. I played at the 2009 World Championship in Plzeň representing Slovakia, and as Switzerland’s coach I took part in the 2017 World Championship in Pardubice. Both events were among the best organized ever. Amazing. I believe Ostrava 2026 will be a level above even that. The Czechs simply know how to do it. And even though I’ve been in Switzerland for more than 20 years, I still have many friends in both Czechia and Slovakia, and I know I’ll meet some of them in Ostrava and reminisce about the old times. It will be a true celebration of ball hockey, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.

Switzerland finished in fourth place at last year's home World Championship. Photo credit: Facebook Visp-Raron2024.